Pen



April 2, 1940. A, SHEA 2,195,430

PEN

Filed June 4. 1938 INVENT OR.

Iii/272 1f. ,l'ea BY G ffi y M ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr.'2, 1940 I UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to pens, preferably of stainless steel.

V A further object of the invention is to provide a new form of pen which is capable of being used for writing whether in 'upper or lower position. w

The invention consists in a new pen point which is formed by first bending up the lips in V shape, and thereafter completing the bending operation to the finally desired configuration in a manner that no area of metal is between the ipswhen bent to final shape. The converging form of the final bending provides also an ink reservoir space so as to facilitate the use of the pen.

Finally, the configuration of the bent lips is such that the metal forming the pen point extends away from the inner surface of the pen nib, as also away from the outer surface of the pen nib, whereby, the pen may be used to write 1 in either position of the pen.

The invention will be fully described'hereinafter, embodiments thereof will be shown in the drawing, and the invention will be finally point-- 5 ed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the inner surface of a completed pen;

Figure 2 is a side view of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of Figure 1,

taken on line 33;

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial view of the nib;

. Figure 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Fig- 5 ure 4;

Figure 6 is a partial side view of Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a partial plan view of a pen nib with the dot dash line to indicate the inner flow upon which the wings will be bent;

Figure 8 is an end view of Figure '7, when the wings have been bent;

Figure 9 is a side view of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a vertical cross section taken on line ||l--||l of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a plan'view of the nib shown in Figure 1, with a slot out therein to remove the area of metal indicated by the slot; and

Figure 12 is a plan view of a nib similar to that shown in Figure 7 provided with a sheared slot.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figure 11 in which is shown a metal blank of a general V-shaped nib, and with the Wings 45 and 46 of the nib portion 41. The

7 Claims. (01. 120- 109 blank has an area of the metal cut out forming the slot 48 as shown in Figure 11.

The next stage after the cut out of the tip slit is to smooth the corners and edge of the tip.

The next stage is to shape the wings 45 and 5. 46, and'this is done by bending them in v fashion. The wings 45 and 46 are then pressed toether in the form shown in Figure 5, by reason of which pressing the V-shaped form is further pressed or bent so as to have the=wings 45 and 10 46 substantially parallel with each other,- and as considerable pressure is exerted at the very tip of these wings 45 and 46, the tips approach each other very closely, as shown in Figure 4, the space, however, being magnified so as to clarify 15 the exemplification. By pressing the tip portions towards each other, as shown in Figure 4, a space is provided, indicated by 5| in Figure 5, in the upper part of the slot 48, and between the wings 45 and 46, this space serving as'a reservoir for the ink. By bending the metal of the wings 45 and 46 from their V shape position closely toward each other, a flow of the metal during this bending action causes the wings to move downwardly below the initial plane of the tip portion, as shown by 52 in Figures 6 and 9.

1 After the bending has been completed, the pen point or nib is subjected to a slitting action by a shearing scissors or the like, extending from the slot 48 to the pierce hole 42, and a plan '30 view of' the pen point with this shear line 51 is shown in Figure 1.

It will here be noted that Figure 5 shows a section taken on lines 5-5, and shows a space between the parts 45 and 46 forming the ink 35 reservoir 5| described. By bending the wings from their initial position shown in Figure 11 to their final position, the fiow of metal forms a slight dam indicated by 52b in Figure 2. It will be particularly noted that in Figure 2 40 the bent up wing portions 45 and 46 form a downwardly extending heel 52 and are rounded at the upper side, as shown by 59, so that the pen point may write on both sides. This hill 59 is shown in somewhat larger size in Figure 3. 45

The same general shape as shown in Figure 11 is shown in Figure 7, and an imaginary inner flow line of V shape indicated by 60 and 6|, with the apex 62 of the V about in line with the narrowest portion 63 of the nib portion 41. The 50 wings 45b and 461) are bent upwardly along these bend lines 60 and 6|. After these wings 45b and 46b have been bent upwardly along these bend lines and 6|, the rearward parts of the wings contact with each other, and an area of 55 metal remains between the wings 45b and 46b, this ara of metal having a curved portion 86. An end view is shown in Figure 8, and the arrows 68 show the flow of the metal. 2 in Figure 8 that the lowermost portion 66, which corresponds to the area of metal 65 in Figure 7, becomes bent downwardly below the surface of the nib portion 41, as clearly seen also in Figure 8. These V-shaped bent portions of Figure 7 are then subjected to a flattening pressure so as -to bring the wings 45b and 46b closely in contact with each other, as shown in Figure 8. An end view of Figure 9 is shown in Figure 8, and the flow indicated by the arrows 68 to show the manner in whichihe metal has been'subjected to a flow movement. Thus, by pressing these parts together in the manner shown under the flow of metal described, there is an area of metal between the wings. At the same time, the metal which has moved downwardly forms the heel 52 as shown in Figure 9.

The pen shown in Figures 7 and 8 is subjected to a slitting by a shearing action, beginning at 86 and ending at the pierce hole 42 (not shown in Figure '7, but shown in Figures 1 and 2), as indicated by the slit 10 in Figure 10. The pen shown in Figures '7 and 8 is subjected to a rounding action, which will widen out the slit l0 and to some extent openthe rearmost parts of the adjacent wings 45b and 46b to form an ink reservoir 5la as shown in Figure 10. v

As steel sheets with the hardness of steel pens cannot be bent sharply without cracking, attempts to make steel pens by a continuous machine operation have failed. After considerable research, I have devised the preliminary bending stem in a V shape,,which has enabled the pens to be made by a machine in successive stages, without the hand of Jnan touching the metal strip. The continuous method thereby differs from the known method in which a pen blank was cutout and then operated upon by hand operation to complete the individual pen.

In Figure 12 is shown a nib portion 41 with wings 45m and 46a with a shearing slit 49 centrally of the nib portion, this slit 49 and the slot 48 of Figure 11 formed enables the two wings to be pressed together to form cheeks between which a capillary ink conduit is formed, which due to the curved tips may be slightly widened, depending on the pressure applied, even when used front or back. The ordinary penvpoint opens when used in front fashion, but closes when used in back fashion, whereas the improved pen is usable top and bottom. A From the foregoing, it will have been se that the improved method differs from other methods heretofore proposed, in that a pen haging bent ears may be made in a series of opera- ,tions in continuity, from a plain metal blank to the finished pen, with the tip portion closely re-" sembling the iridium point of gold pens and having substantially all'the advantages thereof, yet being made of stainless steel and by the i1 1 expensive method of manufacture costing but a known, in thatit first has no area or space between the bent up wings, secondly, that it is first "10- bent in V shape and then to final form, and is "also bent in a manner to provide a lower heel or back so as to enable the pen'point to be used both It will be notedfraction of such a gold pen. Furthermore, the improved pen differs from pen points heretofore front or back for two way writing, thus facilitating the use of pen points. I

A divisional application Serial No. 238,552 was filed on Noyember 3, 1938, on the method of making pens, which consists in first bending up the lips of a nib to Y shape and thereafter completing the preliminary bending operation to the finally desired configuration.

I have described various embodiments of my invention, but it is clear that changes may be' made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A stainless steel pen having a pierce hole consisting of V-shaped wings bent to substantial parallelism without connecting metal between the wings, and shaped above and below the plane of the nib portion, said nib portion having a shearing slit, said slit beginning at the rear of the wings and extending to the pierce hole.

2. A stainlesssteel pen having a pierce ,hole consisting of V-shaped wings having a slot between, bent to substantial parallelism without connecting metal between the wings, and shaped above and below the plane of the nib portion, said nib portion having a shearing slit, said slit beginning at the rear of the wings andextending to the pierce hole.

3. A stainless steel pen having a pierce hole consisting of V-shaped wings having a slot mitting ink to flow to the front or back writing surfaces of the nib, the ink of the reservoir extending along the inner faces of the cheeks throughout their area.

5. A'stainless steel pen having a slitted nib in a plane, spaced cheeks extending in both directions of said plane, the flow of metal of both cheeks being continuous, said cheeks forming a reservoir therebetween permitting ink to flow to the front or back writing surfaces of the nib, the ink of the reservoir extending along the inner faces of the cheeks throughout their area.

6. A stainless steel pen having a slitted nib in a plane, rounded edged cheeks extending above and below said plane, the adjacent faces of the cheeks being inclined in respect to each other, and not contacting and without any area of netal ofthe pen therebetween, said cheeks formafreservoir therebetween permitting ink to flow to the front or back writing surfaces of the nib, the ink ofthe reservoir extending along the inner faces of thecheeks throughout their area.

7. A stainless steel pen having front and back writing hold the k therebetween, and yieldable to separate by pressure applied, said cheeks forming a reservoir therebetween permitting ink to flow to the front or back writing surfaces of the nib, the ink of the reservoir extending along the inner faces of the cheeks throughout their area.

- 1 I JOHN A. SHEA.

rtions, curved in contour, spaced to 

